Dynamoelectric machines such as motors and generators and other rotating machines such as gears and bearing systems are widely employed in industrial and commercial facilities. These machines are relied upon to operate with minimal attention and provide for long, reliable operation. Many facilities operate several hundred or even thousands of such machines concurrently, several of which are integrated into a large interdependent process or system. Several machines, such as aircraft, land vehicles, and marine systems employ micro-electrical mechanical system (MEMs) sensors to obtain measurements related to critical parameters of fluid that operates within the machines. Like most machinery, at least a small percentage of such equipment is prone to failure. Some of these failures can be attributed to loss of lubrication, incorrect lubrication, lubrication breakdown, or lubrication contamination.
Depending on the application, failure of a machine in service can possibly lead to system or process latency, inconvenience, material scrap, machinery damage, hazardous material cleanup, and even a dangerous situation. Thus, it is desirable to diagnose machinery for possible failure or faults early in order to take preventive action and avoid such problems. Absent special monitoring for certain lubrication problems, a problem may have an insidious effect in that although only a minor problem on the outset, the problem could become serious if not detected. For example, bearing problems due to inadequate lubrication, lubrication contamination or other causes may not become apparent until significant damage has occurred.
Proper lubrication facilitates extension of machinery life. For example, when motor lubricant is continuously exposed to high temperatures, high speeds, stress or loads, and an oxidizing environment, the lubricant will deteriorate and lose its lubricating effectiveness. The loss of lubricating effectiveness will affect two main functions of a lubrication system, namely: (1) to reduce friction; and (2) to remove heat. Continued operation of such a degraded system may result in even greater heat generation and accelerated system degradation eventually leading to substantial machinery damage and ultimately catastrophic failure. To protect the motor, the lubricant should be changed in a timely fashion. However, a balance must be struck—on one hand it is undesirable to replace an adequate lubricant but on the other hand it is desired to replace a lubricant that is in its initial stages of breakdown or contamination prior to occurrence of equipment damage. As each particular application of a lubricant is relatively unique with respect to when the lubricant will breakdown or possibly become contaminated, it becomes necessary to monitor the lubricant.
Conventional systems and/or methods for in situ measurement and analysis of fluids in machinery include selectively placing a sensing device in machinery in a position wherein fluid (e.g., lubricating fluid) will flow directly across sensing elements of the sensing device. For example, the sensing device can include sensing elements such as a temperature sensor, a pH sensor, a dielectric sensor, an oxidation-reduction potential sensor, and a viscosity sensor. The sensing device can be utilized to measure various parameters of the lubrication as it flows across such sensing elements, which can be thereafter relayed to a computing system for a detailed analysis of the measurements obtained by the sensing elements. However, measurements obtained by the sensing elements can be compromised via movement of fluid across such sensing elements. Moreover, measuring several desirable parameters requires a particular sample of fluid to remain static for a period of time (e.g., a minute). For example, obtaining measurement of an oxidation level of a fluid requires voltages to be applied to the fluid, thus inducing an oxidation-reduction cycle in the fluid. Constant flow of fluid over the sensing elements, however, inhibits completion of the oxidation-reduction cycle, thus compromising validity of the obtained oxidation measurement. Conventional systems and/or methodologies utilized to obtain measurements of oxidation, and other parameters which need a substantial amount of time for sufficient measurement, require fluid to be extracted from a machine and thereafter tested in a laboratory environment. Such testing results in significant delay in measurement, and can therefore result in delay in lubrication modification and/or replacement if such actions are required. These delays can contribute to accelerated failure of a machine and/or component of a machine.
In various applications, an embedded sensor can be subject to a continuous flow of fluid across sensitive elements designed to obtain measurements relating to a plurality of parameters of a fluid. For instance, flowing fluids can contain metal wear particles that can damage sensing elements or compromise measurements obtained by the embedded sensor. In such applications that an embedded sensor is constantly subject to flowing fluid, a need exists to momentarily expose the sensing elements to the fluid during sensor measurement, and to protect the sensing elements when measurements are not being obtained.
Pertaining to several applications, performance of a sensor is enhanced via altering chemical composition of a fluid to be analyzed. It is not practical, however, to alter chemical composition of a substantial amount of fluid due to cost and possible reduced performance of the fluid. Similarly, sensor performance within several applications can be enhanced via altering temperature of fluid (e.g., altering temperature to particular temperatures or a series of particular temperatures). Heating and/or cooling an entire fluid base, however, is not practical due to energy required for heating and/or cooling the fluid base and potential damaging affects on the fluid and/or structure utilizing the fluid. For these and similar cases, conventional systems require a fluid sample to be extracted from a system and tested within a laboratory environment, wherein chemical composition and/or temperature of the fluid sample can be altered. Such modification and testing is costly and results in significant delay in measurement, and can therefore result in delay in fluid modification and/or replacement if such actions are required.
Measurements relating to machine fluids obtained from sensing elements and/or a laboratory process are then utilized to prevent substantial degradation of the machine fluids, and thus prevent damage to the machine. Even if such measurements are taken at regular intervals, however, a maintenance engineer is still required to effectuate maintenance measures (e.g., fluid addition, fluid replacement, addition of anti-oxidants, . . . ). Particular machinery requiring fluid maintenance can be located at positions on the machinery that is difficult to reach and therefore requires a significant amount of the maintenance engineer's time to perform such maintenance. Furthermore, the maintenance engineer is prone to human error and can add incorrect fluids and/or fluid additives to a particular machine or machine component, as well as provide the machine or machine component with an over-abundance of fluid. These and other similar maintenance errors can result in accelerated failure of the machine and/or machine component.
In view of at least the above, there exists a strong need in the art for a system and/or methodology facilitating improved real-time in situ measurement and analysis of parameters relating to fluid in machinery, and a system and/or methodology for maintaining such fluids.